Saturday, March 28, 2015

Penalty Kill (Memphis Mayhem Series 1) by Alicia Sparks - Spotlight

Book 1 in the Memphis Mayhem Series

Becca Bramlett finished her Ph.D. and flew to Vegas to celebrate with a friend. She had no idea the Stanley Cup Championship was being played in Sin City or that the hotel where she’d be staying would be swamped with loud, obnoxious hockey players. One in particular caught her eye and irritated her beyond belief when he and his buddies decided to party in the hallway at 3 am. As soon as she confronted him, jabbing her finger into his sexy chest, she knew one touch would never be enough. And God, could the man touch! Nothing had prepared Becca for Axl or the hot weekend they’d spent together. What they did together in bed would be burned in her mind forever. But, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – or so she thought….

Ten years later - Nick Hartijay’s team, the Memphis Mayhem, is poised to become media darlings, a success story of an underdog NHL team who makes it to the Cup. The only problem is - Nick’s temper is getting the better of him. With heavy fines and suspensions, it’s difficult to focus on his game. The team’s owner has a solution to the problem - bring in a fresh face, someone new to the hockey world that can help the team with their media image. Becca is that person.

As soon as Becca sets eyes on Nick, she realizes he’s THE ONE from so long ago, the guy who set her on fire and left her wanting more - Axl. Why does he pretend he doesn’t know her? Or was the weekend not as memorable for him as it was for her? Confused by her feelings, the new job, and the sexual longings running through her body, Becca knows the only way to keep her sanity is to stay away from the handsome blue-eyed coach. The only problem is - the harder she tries to stay away, the more she wants to end up in the penalty box with him!

“You should choose a safe word,” Axl had said, his voice gravelly and very dangerous. It was their second night together, and she’d shared with him the night before how much she wanted to just hand over control of her life to someone else. That can be arranged, he’d smiled.

As he tied her hands and ankles to the bedposts, she wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. “What’s a safe word?”

“I’m going to push you to your limits. Part of the fun is that you will say no and stop. I want to know when you really want me to stop and when you really mean no as opposed to when you are just in the moment. Does that make sense?” His face rested just above hers and she could tell he was serious.

She licked her lips. “What kind of word?” She’d never heard of anything like this before. Then again, she had never been tied to a bed before either.

“Something you wouldn’t ordinarily say during sex. Not Oh, God or That’s too big or anything like that.” She had giggled because both of those phrases were appropriate. “I won’t start until you think of something.”

She racked her brain and for the life of her couldn’t come up with anything that didn’t sound dirty. “Like any word?”

“Yes. Something you will remember and know to use when you’ve had enough.”

“And what happens when I say it?” She didn’t want the fun to stop just because she had second thoughts.

“I will give you a few minutes to be sure you really meant it. I will stop doing whatever I’m doing and let you think. If you want to keep going, you let me know. If not, then we try something else. It’s perfectly safe.”

“What if I’m on the verge of a climax and I say it?”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Try not to say it if you’re that close.” He ran a finger down between her breasts then flattened his palm just below her ribcage. “Have you thought of anything?”

“Parlay?”

“Par-what?” He wrinkled his forehead.

“Parlay. It’s part of the Pirate’s Code. It means you have to give me temporary protection. You can’t abuse me on your ship.”

He laughed. “Pirate’s Code. Is every woman obsessed with pirates?”

She smiled. “As long as they are the right kind of pirates, then yes, we are. So, parlay.”

Alicia Sparks is a Southern girl with a flair for all things a little naughty. From writing about sensual ice cream to sexy tigers, her stories all contain a high level of heat, which she blames on her Southern surroundings and her smoking hot husband.

She has been writing for ten years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon!